1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sterilizing trays for surgical instruments, and, more particularly, to an improved storage and sterilization tray system for facilitating access to a plurality of trays in a sterilizing, storage or transport case.
2. Background of the Invention
Surgical procedures are regularly performed using "sets" of pre-selected surgical instruments, each set being a collection of instruments established from experience to be useful in a given surgical procedure. The surgical instruments expected to be used in a particular procedure are grouped together to form a set, and, as a set, are sterilized, stored on a pan or tray, and finally transported on that pan or tray to the operating room when their use is required. Complex procedures typically involve a substantial number of instruments. Thus, typically, several instrument trays may be necessary to accommodate all of the required surgical instruments. Accordingly, sterilizing cases often are designed to accommodate a plurality of trays with the instruments arranged on the trays in such a manner that the trays may be accessed as the surgical procedure advances often in a preset sequence.
In the prior art, as shown in FIG. 1, a sterilizing case 110 includes a bottom tray 112, one or more middle trays 114, a top tray 115 and a removable top or lid 110. Latch means 117, 119 is provided for clamping the lid to the base. While stacking tray sterilization cases such as shown in FIG. 1 have become widely adopted, such trays have certain disadvantages. For example, access to a particular tray requires the removal of the tray or trays above it. Requiring prior removal of a tray or trays in order to access the desired tray, could be disruptive to operating room personnel while they hunt for the desired tray. If those instruments sought are buried in a lower positioned tray, precious time again may be lost in the removal, relocation and replacement of the upper trays. In extreme circumstances, precious time lost could compromise the safety of a patient. Also, this could cause wasteful utilization of operating room personnel in the handling of the trays and accessing of certain instruments.
In copending U.S. application Ser. No. 08/897,458, filed Jul. 21, 1997 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,618), there is disclosed a stacking sterilization tray system which overcomes several of the aforesaid disadvantages of prior art systems, such as shown in FIG. 1. More particularly, as shown in FIG. 2, there is provided a stacking sterilization assembly 220 which consists of a rectangularly shaped open rack 222 having a removable end wall or cover 294 for permitting access to the trays 224, 226, 228 which are slidably mounted on rails 230 within the rack so that the trays are accessible from the side of the rack. The rail assemblies preferably are integrally formed with the tray covers 263, 264, 266 and thus serve the dual purpose of covering the tray contents and also supporting the trays. While permitting access to each tray without displacing the others in the rack, the rack requires a end cover and locking mechanism which must first be removed. Also as a tray is pulled out of rack, the weight of the tray and the instruments contained therein could cause the rack to become somewhat unstable.